Domaine Pierre Usseglio Châteauneuf-du-Pape ‘Reserve des 2 Frères’ 2015

Why is this Wine so Yummy?

About Pierre Usseglio

In 1931 an Italian Francis Usseglio left Italy and went to Chateauneuf du Pape in France. Here he got a job at some winegrowers. After the war he got his own property – in 1948.

Although the first vintage made by the Usseglio family was in 1949, Domaine Pierre Usseglio was established later in 1966 and ever since expanded its holdings, especially of old vines vineyards. At present, the domain covers 22 hectares spread over 15 different “lieux-dits”, with a wide variety of soils. The Domaine is owned and run by Thierry & Jean-Pierre Usseglio. Since 2001, all red wines are completely destemmed.

The regular “Châteauneuf du Pape” comes from sandy soil covered by round pebbles. The wine is made of 75% Grenache, 10% Syrah, 6% Mouvèdre and the balance from other varieties (which can differ from year to year). The winemaking is traditional, and after 20 days of fermentation and maceration the wine is aged in foundres for 18-24 months.

The “Cuvée de Mon Aieul”, mostly from a single vineyard wine from a 2 ha plot planted in 1926 was made for the first time in 1998 and was named after the two present owners and winemakers’ grandfather, Francis Usseglio, who brought his family from Italy to Chateauneuf du Pape in 1931. The average yield is very low 20-25 hl/ha. Production increased from 6,000 bottles in 1998 to a yearly average of 20,000 bottles. The wine is made predominantly from Grenache, and is made and aged solely in concrete tanks.

The domaine’s flagship wine, “Reserve des Deux Frères” was first made in 2000, and consists of very old Grenache. The fermentation is done in concrete tanks but the wine is aged for 12-15 months in barrels, 60% of them are new. Annual production is 4-6,000 bottles.

The 2015 Vintage at Domaine Pierre Usseglio

Vintage thoughts from Josh Raynolds

Nature Smiles on the Growing Season and Harvest of 2015

As in Beaujolais and Burgundy to the north, the extended, warm 2015 growing season, which began with an early budbreak, presented growers with ideal conditions for achieving optimal ripeness. But it also delivered fruit with healthy acidity thanks to cool nights leading up to harvest, resulting in a large number of stellar wines that smoothly combine ripeness and energy. Indeed, a number of producers in Châteauneuf appear to have made their best wines in recent memory.

Another key factor in overall vintage quality was that weather conditions leading up to and through the harvest were so benign that producers could pick when they wanted, at sugar and acidity levels that suited their personal styles, rather than under the stress of an early, late or wet harvest. As a result, there are very few cases in which producers who favor an elegant style were forced to pick overripe fruit ,or those who go for ripeness were obliged to work with grapes picked earlier than they’d prefer. The bottom line: Châteauneuf fans will find their favorite wines with their house styles intact, albeit with the volume turned up and slightly higher alcohol than usual.

One minor caveat is that grape skins were typically thicker than usual in ‘15, and thus some wines display elevated tannin levels. That said, few wines show forbidding tannic structures; most have the sweet, fleshy fruit to support their spines.

Rich Wines that Also Show Vivacity

While the 2015s are definitely on the rich side, they’re much more in the style of the 2009s than the superripe 2007s or the frequently roasted 2003s. Broadly speaking, I view 2015 as a cross between the richness of 2009 and the energy and structure of 2010, with the overall personality of the wines leaning closer to ’09 than to ’10. The best examples show serious depth along with very good definition and back-end vivacity, and little in the way of cooked-fruit character. The wines have generally begun their lives with a more pleasing balance of mid-palate fruit and tannins than the sterner 2005s or even the 2010s, which should allow them to be enjoyable relatively young. At their best – and there are many high points in 2015 – the wines exhibit the classic richness of the region allied to freshness, which will make them appealing to a wide range of Châteauneuf lovers, from those with cool, deep cellars who can be patient to readers with itchy corkscrews and/or a lack of long-term storage options.

Where in the World is Domaine Pierre Usseglio?

Domaine Pierre Usseglio is based in Châteauneuf-du-Pape in the Southern Rhône Valley, France.

A bit of History

Châteauneuf-du-Pape literally translates to “The Pope’s new castle” and, indeed, the history of this appellation is firmly entwined with papal history. In 1308, Pope Clement V, former Archbishop of Bordeaux, relocated the papacy to the town of Avignon. Clement V and subsequent “Avignon Popes” were said to be great lovers of Burgundy wines and did much to promote it during the seventy-year duration of the Avignon Papacy. At the time, wine-growing around the town of Avignon was anything but illustrious. While the Avignon Papacy did much to advance the reputation of Burgundy wines, they were also promoting viticulture of the surrounding area, more specifically the area 5–10 km (3–6 mi) north of Avignon close to the banks of the Rhône. Prior to the Avignon Papacy, viticulture of that area had been initiated and maintained by the Bishops of Avignon, largely for local consumption.

Clement V was succeeded by John XXII who, as well as Burgundy wine, regularly drank the wines from the vineyards to the north and did much to improve viticultural practices there. Under John XXII, the wines of this area came to be known as “Vin du Pape”, this term later to become Châteauneuf-du-Pape. John XXII is also responsible for erecting the famous castle which stands as a symbol for the appellation.

The Chateauneuf appellation is 15km long and 8km wide, consisting of 3200ha, and was officially delimited in 1930. All the hills of Chateauneuf have the same geology – Miocene soil covered by Alpine diluvium-composed of a layer of marine limestone from the Miocene period, covered by a blanket of rounded stones (or “galets”) which contribute much to the wines of Chateauneuf: they retain the intense heat of the Mediterranean sun during the day then slowly disperse it to the vines during the night.

The Mistral plays a crucial role in the quality of wines from the area and blows cold and dry wind from the north through the Rhone to the Mediterranean. These winds often blow at speeds greater than 100km per hour for more than 100 days of the year and are instrumental in keeping disease at bay in the vineyards.

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The Grape Varieties of Châteauneuf

Châteauneuf-du-Pape is traditionally cited as allowing thirteen grape varieties to be used, but the 2009 version of the AOC rules in fact list eighteen varieties, since blanc (white), rose (pink) and noir (black) versions of some grapes are now explicitly listed as separate varieties. Also in the previous version of the appellation rules, Grenache and Picpoul were associated with different pruning regulations in their noir and blanc versions, bringing the number of varieties previously mentioned from thirteen to fifteen.

Red varieties allowed are Cinsaut, Counoise, Grenache noir, Mourvèdre, Muscardin, Piquepoul noir, Syrah, Terret noir, and Vaccarèse (Brun Argenté). White and pink varieties are Bourboulenc, Clairette blanche, Clairette rose, Grenache blanc, Grenache gris, Picardan, Piquepoul blanc, Piquepoul gris, and Roussanne. (The varieties not specifically mentioned before 2009 are Clairette rose, Grenache gris and Piquepoul gris.)

Both red and white varieties are allowed in both red and white Châteauneuf-du-Pape. There are no restrictions as to the proportion of grape varieties to be used, and unlike the case with other appellations, the allowed grape varieties are not differentiated into principal varieties and accessory varieties. Thus, it is theoretically possible to produce varietal Châteauneuf-du-Pape from any of the eighteen allowed varieties. In reality, most Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines are blends dominated by Grenache. Only one of every 16 bottles produced in the region is white wine.